Thistlegorm: 360° Underwater Video

Take a virtual dive on the S.S Thistlegorm shipwreck with 360°

underwater video.

Data Collection

The 360 degree underwater videos were shot with a Kolor GoPro Abyss rig, this comprised of six individual cameras in an array, each shooting 4K Ultra HD footage.

Our aim was to capture both static shots from inside and outside the wreck as well as moving footage from around the wreck site. The final dive involved mounting the Abyss system to the front of a DPV (underwater scooter) and using this to create a complete 360 degree virtual dive around the wreck site. Due to the high resolution, the total file size from all the cameras was roughly 50GB per dive. In total we recorded over 1.5Tb of raw 360 footage during the project.

Processing

The process began with cutting ‘rushes’ (best clips) from each dive. This required finding the same point in time from each of the six cameras, generally a starting point where we had tapped the camera to create an audio synchronization marker for the software to detect.

The second stage involved aligning and stitching the videos, the most complicated part of the process. Using specialist software the rushes were synchronized and control points added to align each of the videos into their fixed position. The individual videos were then merged together into a single 360 video file and exported in high resolution (up to 8K).

360° Virtual Dive

Take a virtual 360 degree dive around the site of the S.S. Thistlegorm shipwreck. Using a GoPro Abyss rig mounted to an underwater scooter, let the diver guide you around the wreck to see all the main features including the cargo of railway carriages on the forward deck, the broken field of debris where the explosion took place and finally the guns mounted onto the stern section.

Navigate

About

The Thistlegorm Project is an ongoing underwater archaeological survey project recording the remains of the SS Thistlegorm in the Red Sea using cutting edge digital techniques, to raise awareness of the wreck and to help ensure it preservation for future generations. Find out more...